18 May 2008

Entry for December 15, 2006

I was surfing around the net and found some Christmas stories on Project Gutenberg. They are free of copyright so I thought that I would include some of them in by blog for your holiday enjoyment. So enjoy!

THE FIR-TREE by HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSENOut in the woods stood a nice little Fir-tree. The place he had was avery good one; the sun shone on him; as to fresh air, there was enoughof that, and round him grew many large-sized comrades, pines as well asfirs. But the little Fir wanted so very much to be a grown-up tree.He did not think of the warm sun and of the fresh air; he did not carefor the little cottage children that ran about and prattled when theywere in the woods looking for wild strawberries. The children oftencame with a whole pitcher full of berries, or a long row of themthreaded on a straw, and sat down near the young tree and said, "Oh,how pretty he is! what a nice little fir!" But this was what the Treecould not bear to hear.At the end of a year he had shot up a good deal, and after another yearhe was another long bit taller; for with fir-trees one can always tellby the shoots how many years old they are."Oh, were I but such a high tree as the others are!" sighed he. "Then Ishould be able to spread out my branches, and with the tops to lookinto the wide world! Then would the birds build nests among mybranches; and when there was a breeze, I could bend with as muchstateliness as the others!"Neither the sunbeams, nor the birds, nor the red clouds, which morningand evening sailed above them, gave the little Tree any pleasure.In winter, when the snow lay glittering on the ground, a hare wouldoften come leaping along, and jump right over the little Tree. Oh, thatmade him so angry! But two winters were past, and in the third the treewas so large that the hare was obliged to go round it. "To grow andgrow, to get older and be tall," thought the Tree--"that, after all, isthe most delightful thing in the world!"In autumn the wood-cutters always came and felled some of the largesttrees. This happened every year; and the young Fir-tree, that had nowgrown to a very comely size, trembled at the sight; for the magnificentgreat trees fell to the earth with noise and cracking, the brancheswere lopped off, and the trees looked long and bare; they were hardlyto be recognized; and then they were laid in carts, and the horsesdragged them out of the woods.Where did they go to? What became of them?In spring, when the Swallows and the Storks came, the Tree asked them,"Don't you know where they have been taken? Have you not met themanywhere?"The Swallows did not know anything about it; but the Stork lookedmusing, nodded his head, and said: "Yes, I think I know; I met manyships as I was flying hither from Egypt; on the ships were magnificentmasts, and I venture to assert that it was they that smelt so of fir. Imay congratulate you, for they lifted themselves on high mostmajestically!""Oh, were I but old enough to fly across the sea! But how does the sealook in reality? What is it like?""That would take a long time to explain," said the Stork, and withthese words off he went."Rejoice in thy growth!" said the Sunbeams, "rejoice in thy vigorousgrowth, and in the fresh life that moveth within thee!"And the Wind kissed the Tree, and the Dew wept tears over him; but theFir understood it not.When Christmas came, quite young trees were cut down; trees which oftenwere not even as large or of the same age as this Fir-tree, who couldnever rest, but always wanted to be off. These young trees, and theywere always the finest looking, retained their branches; they were laidon carts, and the horses drew them out of the woods."Where are they going to?" asked the Fir. "They are not taller than I;there was one indeed that was considerably shorter; and why do theyretain all their branches? Whither are they taken?""We know! we know!" chirped the Sparrows. "We have peeped in at thewindows in the town below! We know whither they are taken! The greatestsplendour and the greatest magnificence one can imagine await them. Wepeeped through the windows, and saw them planted in the middle of thewarm room, and ornamented with the most splendid things--with gildedapples, with gingerbread, with toys, and many hundred lights!""And then?" asked the Fir-tree, trembling in every bough. "And then?What happens then?""We did not see anything more: it was incomparably beautiful.""I would fain know if I am destined for so glorious a career," criedthe Tree, rejoicing. "That is still better than to cross the sea! Whata longing do I suffer! Were Christmas but come! I am now tall, and mybranches spread like the others that were carried off last year! Oh,were I but already on the cart. Were I in the warm room with all thesplendour and magnificence! Yes; then something better, something stillgrander, will surely follow, or wherefore should they thus ornament me?Something better, something still grander, MUST follow--but what? Oh,how I long, how I suffer! I do not know myself what is the matter withme!""Rejoice in our presence!" said the Air and the Sunlight; "rejoice inthy own fresh youth!"But the Tree did not rejoice at all; he grew and grew, and was greenboth winter and summer. People that saw him said, "What a fine tree!"and toward Christmas he was one of the first that was cut down. The axestruck deep into the very pith; the tree fell to the earth with a sigh:he felt a pang--it was like a swoon; he could not think of happiness,for he was sorrowful at being separated from his home, from the placewhere he had sprung up. He knew well that he should never see his dearold comrades, the little bushes and flowers around him, any more;perhaps not even the birds! The departure was not at all agreeable.The Tree only came to himself when he was unloaded in a courtyard withthe other trees, and heard a man say, "That one is splendid! we don'twant the others." Then two servants came in rich livery and carried theFir-tree into a large and splendid drawing-room. Portraits were hangingon the walls, and near the white porcelain stove stood two largeChinese vases with lions on the covers. There, too, were large easychairs, silken sofas, large tables full of picture-books, and full oftoys worth hundreds and hundreds of crowns--at least the children saidso. And the Fir-tree was stuck upright in a cask that was filled withsand: but no one could see that it was a cask, for green cloth was hungall around it, and it stood on a large gayly coloured carpet. Oh, howthe Tree quivered! What was to happen? The servants, as well as theyoung ladies, decorated it. On one branch there hung little nets cutout of coloured paper, and each net was filled with sugar-plums; andamong the other boughs gilded apples and walnuts were suspended,looking as though they had grown there, and little blue and whitetapers were placed among the leaves. Dolls that looked for all theworld like men--the Tree had never beheld such before--were seen amongthe foliage, and at the very top a large star of gold tinsel was fixed.It was really splendid--beyond description splendid."This evening!" said they all; "how it will shine this evening!""Oh," thought the Tree, "if the evening were but come! If the taperswere but lighted! And then I wonder what will happen! Perhaps the othertrees from the forest will come to look at me! Perhaps the sparrowswill beat against the window-panes! I wonder if I shall take root here,and winter and summer stand covered with ornaments!"He knew very much about the matter! but he was so impatient that forsheer longing he got a pain in his back, and this with trees is thesame thing as a headache with us.The candles were now lighted. What brightness! What splendour! The Treetrembled so in every bough that one of the tapers set fire to thefoliage. It blazed up splendidly."Help! Help!" cried the young ladies, and they quickly put out the fire.Now the Tree did not even dare tremble. What a state he was in! He wasso uneasy lest he should lose something of his splendour, that he wasquite bewildered amidst the glare and brightness; when suddenly bothfolding-doors opened, and a troop of children rushed in as if theywould upset the Tree. The older persons followed quietly; the littleones stood quite still. But it was only for a moment; then they shoutedso that the whole place reechoed with their rejoicing; they dancedround the tree, and one present after the other was pulled off."What are they about?" thought the Tree. "What is to happen now?" Andthe lights burned down to the very branches, and as they burned downthey were put out, one after the other, and then the children hadpermission to plunder the tree. So they fell upon it with such violencethat all its branches cracked; if it had not been fixed firmly in thecask, it would certainly have tumbled down.The children danced about with their beautiful playthings: no onelooked at the Tree except the old nurse, who peeped between thebranches; but it was only to see if there was a fig or an apple leftthat had been forgotten."A story! a story!" cried the children, drawing a little fat man towardthe tree. He seated himself under it, and said: "Now we are in theshade, and the Tree can listen, too. But I shall tell only one story.Now which will you have: that about Ivedy-Avedy, or about Klumpy-Dumpywho tumbled downstairs, and yet after all came to the throne andmarried the princess?""Ivedy-Avedy!" cried some; "Klumpy-Dumpy" cried the others. There wassuch a bawling and screaming--the Fir-tree alone was silent, and hethought to himself, "Am I not to bawl with the rest?--am I to donothing whatever?" for he was one of the company, and had done what hehad to do.And the man told about Klumpy-Dumpy that tumbled down, whonotwithstanding came to the throne, and at last married the princess.And the children clapped their hands, and cried out, "Oh, go on! Do goon!" They wanted to hear about Ivedy-Avedy, too, but the little manonly told them about Klumpy-Dumpy. The Fir-tree stood quite still andabsorbed in thought; the birds in the woods had never related the likeof this. "Klumpy-Dumpy fell downstairs, and yet he married theprincess! Yes! Yes! that's the way of the world!" thought the Fir-tree,and believed it all, because the man who told the story was sogood-looking. "Well, well! who knows, perhaps I may fall downstairs,too, and get a princess as wife!" And he looked forward with joy to themorrow, when he hoped to be decked out again with lights, playthings,fruits, and tinsel."I won't tremble to-morrow," thought the Fir-tree. "I will enjoy to thefull all my splendour. To-morrow I shall hear again the story ofKlumpy-Dumpy, and perhaps that of Ivedy-Avedy, too." And the wholenight the Tree stood still and in deep thought.In the morning the servant and the housemaid came in."Now, then, the splendour will begin again," thought the Fir. But theydragged him out of the room, and up the stairs into the loft; and herein a dark corner, where no daylight could enter, they left him. "What'sthe meaning of this?" thought the Tree. "What am I to do here? Whatshall I hear now, I wonder?" And he leaned against the wall, lost inreverie. Time enough had he, too, for his reflections; for days andnights passed on, and nobody came up; and when at last somebody didcome, it was only to put some great trunks in a corner out of the way.There stood the Tree quite hidden; it seemed as if he had been entirelyforgotten."'Tis now winter out of doors!" thought the Tree. "The earth is hardand covered with snow; men cannot plant me now, and therefore I havebeen put up here under shelter till the springtime comes! Howthoughtful that is! How kind man is, after all! If it only were not sodark here, and so terribly lonely! Not even a hare. And out in thewoods it was so pleasant, when the snow was on the ground, and the hareleaped by; yes--even when he jumped over me; but I did not like itthen. It is really terribly lonely here!""Squeak! squeak!" said a little Mouse at the same moment, peeping outof his hole. And then another little one came. They sniffed about theFir-tree, and rustled among the branches."It is dreadfully cold," said the Mouse. "But for that, it would bedelightful here, old Fir, wouldn't it?""I am by no means old," said the Fir-tree. "There's many a oneconsiderably older than I am.""Where do you come from," asked the Mice; "and what can you do?" Theywere so extremely curious. "Tell us about the most beautiful spot onthe earth. Have you never been there? Were you never in the larder,where cheeses lie on the shelves, and hams hang from above; where onedances about on tallow-candles; that place where one enters lean, andcomes out again fat and portly?""I know no such place," said the Tree, "but I know the woods, where thesun shines, and where the little birds sing." And then he told allabout his youth; and the little Mice had never heard the like before;and they listened and said:"Well, to be sure! How much you have seen! How happy you must havebeen!""I?" said the Fir-tree, thinking over what he had himself related."Yes, in reality those were happy times." And then he told aboutChristmas Eve, when he was decked out with cakes and candles."Oh," said the little Mice, "how fortunate you have been, old Fir-tree!""I am by no means old," said he. "I came from the woods this winter; Iam in my prime, and am only rather short for my age.""What delightful stories you know!" said the Mice: and the next nightthey came with four other little Mice, who were to hear what the treerecounted; and the more he related, the more plainly he remembered allhimself; and it appeared as if those times had really been happy times."But they may still come--they may still come. Klumpy-Dumpy felldownstairs and yet he got a princess," and he thought at the moment ofa nice little Birch-tree growing out in the woods; to the Fir, thatwould be a real charming princess."Who is Klumpy-Dumpy?" asked the Mice. So then the Fir-tree told thewhole fairy tale, for he could remember every single word of it; andthe little Mice jumped for joy up to the very top of the Tree. Nextnight two more Mice came, and on Sunday two Rats, even; but they saidthe stories were not interesting, which vexed the little Mice; andthey, too, now began to think them not so very amusing either."Do you know only one story?" asked the Rats."Only that one," answered the Tree. "I heard it on my happiest evening;but I did not then know how happy I was.""It is a very stupid story. Don't you know one about bacon and tallowcandles? Can't you tell any larder stories?""No," said the Tree."Then good-bye," said the Rats; and they went home.At last the little Mice stayed away also; and the Tree sighed: "Afterall, it was very pleasant when the sleek little Mice sat around me andlistened to what I told them. Now that too is over. But I will takegood care to enjoy myself when I am brought out again."But when was that to be? Why, one morning there came a quantity ofpeople and set to work in the loft. The trunks were moved, the Tree waspulled out and thrown--rather hard, it is true--down on the floor, buta man drew him toward the stairs, where the daylight shone."Now a merry life will begin again," thought the Tree. He felt thefresh air, the first sunbeam--and now he was out in the courtyard. Allpassed so quickly, there was so much going on around him, that the Treequite forgot to look to himself. The court adjoined a garden, and allwas in flower; the roses hung so fresh and odorous over the balustrade,the lindens were in blossom, the Swallows flew by, and said,"Quirre-vit! my husband is come!" but it was not the Fir-tree that theymeant."Now, then, I shall really enjoy life," said he, exultingly, and spreadout his branches; but, alas! they were all withered and yellow. It wasin a corner that he lay, among weeds and nettles. The golden star oftinsel was still on the top of the Tree, and glittered in the sunshine.In the courtyard some of the merry children were playing who had dancedat Christmas round the Fir-tree, and were so glad at the sight of him.One of the youngest ran and tore off the golden star."Only look what is still on the ugly old Christmas tree!" said he,trampling on the branches, so that they all cracked beneath his feet.And the Tree beheld all the beauty of the flowers, and the freshness inthe garden; he beheld himself, and wished he had remained in his darkcorner in the loft; he thought of his first youth in the woods, of themerry Christmas Eve, and of the little Mice who had listened with somuch pleasure to the story of Klumpy-Dumpy."'Tis over--'tis past!" said the poor Tree. "Had I but rejoiced when Ihad reason to do so! But now 'tis past, 'tis past!"And the gardener's boy chopped the Tree into small pieces; there was awhole heap lying there. The wood flamed up splendidly under the largebrewing copper, and it sighed so deeply! Each sigh was like a shot.The boys played about in the court, and the youngest wore the gold staron his breast which the Tree had had on the happiest evening of hislife. However, that was over now--the Tree gone, the story at an end.All, all was over; every tale must end at last.